New Testimonials for "First Steps to Femininity"

We've had a fantastic week for "First Steps to Femininity" - I am proud to report superior satisfaction among those who completed the course. The oh-so-feminine students were satisfied enough to actively volunteer to write some testimonials for me. Here are portions of only a few of them:

Discover a Femininity Secret from the Orient (Part I)

Are you ready to discover the powerful femininity secrets that feminine Asian women have been using for centuries, Ancient secrets of the Orient that they used to unleash their feminine power?

My Favorite Workout Regimen: Ballet Beautiful

Many of you often ask me how I stay fit and healthy. It's true that I believe that elegant ladies have self-respect when it comes to their bodies and their health and take pride in their appearance and hygiene.

What's on my perfume tray for summer?

A reader recently asked me if I could write about what perfumes are on my perfume tray for the summer (or for warmer climates).

A Shout-Out to a Generous Sponsor

Continuing in the spirit of generous sponsors, patrons, and donors, it's now necessary for me to give one an honorable mention.

A Shout-Out to a Generous Patron

Hi Ladies,

It seems that this week was the week of generosity! So many great sponsors showed up this week to support the research and pursuit of elegance, deportment, and femininity and I'm extremely grateful to them.

How to Be a Good Wedding Guest

I don't know about you guys, but I love weddings. There's just something so beautiful and fresh about two people in-love and two families joining together happily, with the parents helping to plan the day that they see their children marry the ones they're in love with (while also secretly plotting the next step: grandchildren!).

A Shout-Out to a Generous Patron

Writing a blog for a living doesn't always pay the bills each month so it's safe to say that TheProperLady.com relies on the generosity of patrons around the globe. Today, I'd like to give a shout-out to a particularly generous patron: Business Brokers UK

Shout-Out to a Sponsor

Hi Everyone,

Once again, the time has come for me to give a short shout-out to a very generous sponsor.

Be Careful, Despite Your Desperation

Hi Darlings,

I just want to write a shorter post today that's a bit off topic because I'd like to tell you a story today about one of the financial nightmares that my friend went through. This is just to warn you about things that happen out there so that, regardless of how desperate you may be, you must never forget to be careful. There are many people out there seeking to take advantage of the desperate and the needy.

A Few Words for the Victims and a Shout-Out to a Generous Sponsor

Hi Lovelies,

This morning I'm taking a break from blogging about how to be a lovely feminine lady because there's some business in order.

The Importance of Caring For Your Skin

Wearing a hat is a great way to
protect your skin from the sun!

This post is one that I feel is very important for all of us feminine ladies. It's about the importance of caring for your skin. I don't consider myself to be an expert in any way as I don't have a Dermatology degree.

However, what I do have, and credit to my years studying history, literature, science, and politics in high school and then going on to pursue degrees in both Anthropology and Russian Language and Literature in university, is a mind that can withstand hours upon hours of ghastly and dry research without giving into the urge to sigh and fidget uncontrollably in my desk chair.

I hope that today I can offer you some words on caring for your skin as a feminine lady.

I do think that caring for your skin is an important part of being feminine. After all, we want our skin to be soft, just like our feminine behavior, don't we?

I think it's important to care for your skin everywhere, not just on your face. Not only is it not feminine to be soft and smooth only where your skin is easily seen, but it's also healthy to protect yourself.

Reconnect With Your Feminine Power Through the Secrets of the Orient

Do you want to achieve your most feminine self, unlocking your feminine potential and unleashing your feminine power on the world? Do you want to take ownership of your true feminine magic and, by doing so, take ownership of 

• love
• romance
• happy relationships
• friendships
• self-confidence
• happiness

and much more?

This is your life and and it's your right and even your responsibility to take charge of your happiness. 

Things don't ever just happen to you. Things don't ever happen to anyone. There's cause and effect at play in our day-to-day lives and the "good luck" that you may see constantly happening to that girl you know is not "good luck" happening to her, but results of the behavior and actions of her and of those around her and also the energy that she chooses to give out.

That girl with "good luck" does not have "good luck," but she has simply made the decision to take charge of her life and take ownership of the happiness that she deserves! 

She has made the decision to take ownership of happiness - of that awesome relationship with the handsome and witty man, of a shining self-confidence, of feeling naturally and 100% at ease in her own beautiful feminine skin - and to take control of her life! 

You have the right to be happy as well. You should be and I want you to be.

Discover The Secret
I want you to start learning and putting into action, pain-free, what I've learned the hard way throughout the earlier years of my life. 

I want you to acquire true vibrant and lethally powerful femininity so that you can apply it to your life and see it work its magic. 

Today is a new day for you, because it's the day that you take charge of your femininity and take charge of your life and happiness.

Here at TheProperLady.com, I make it my goal and my life's work to help you learn about 

• what makes you attractive to men
• what makes you feel as beautiful as you are 
• what gives you a shimmering and sparkling self-confidence
• what makes you happy.

And I do all this because you deserve to be happy!

Learn The Secrets

Today is the day where you start taking control of your happiness and taking charge of your life by starting your studies for an outstanding education on femininity.

It's today, Lovelies. Today, not tomorrow, not next week, not next month, and definitely not next year. 

Because fate and learning to acquire true happiness won't wait for you. 

You will always be able to cultivate your femininity and reap the rewards. It's never too late to study femininity, unleash your feminine power, and pursue a happy relationship with a wonderful man, nurture great friendships, feel as beautiful as you are, and gain a sparkling self-confidence.

But the longer you wait, the less opportunities are available because the more likely they are to be swept up by another woman using this information. 

Take charge of your happiness today, Ladies. 

Happiness is yours to have and yours to take. 

So why wait any longer? 

Today, give yourself a little gift. 

Do something nice for yourself. 

Take charge of your happiness by starting a darn good education on femininity. 

Today, do yourself a favor and pre-order the e-guide "Oriental Elegance and Femininity."

Learn The Secrets

Here it is:

You deserve to be happy and it's time for you to take ownership of the happiness that you deserve. 

It's time that you do something for yourself, give a gift to yourself, a gift of an education in femininity.

In this 60-page easy-to-read guide, you will learn clear and understandable lessons in femininity, elegance, and feminine magic through 

• examples in traditional Asian architecture
• examples in Japanese food trays and Thai dessert displays 
• traditional Asian clothing 
• the methods of the lethally feminine Japanese geisha 
• classical Thai poetry 
• Chinese folklore 
• Ancient Japanese skincare regimens
• and more!

You will also learn how Asian women stay so darn slender without obsessing over counting calories like we do here in the West. 

Learn The Secrets

This guide book is for you if:

•  you want to take charge of your life and take ownership of the happiness that you so deserve
•  if you don't want to settle for mediocre and want to live life with a higher standard because you deserve better
• if you want to increase your self-confidence so much that it sparkles and shines
•  if you want to pursue a happy relationship with a masculine and intelligent gentleman.

I want you to have this information in your hands and start using it today so that you can start to take charge of your life and take ownership of your happiness.

So, this is what I'm doing for you...

This guide book isn't set to be released for 2 more weeks. That's right, 2 more weeks. But I'm putting it up for pre-order.

Pre-order this guide today and here's what will happen:

• You'll receive a discount on the final product (which we can all use)
• you'll receive a FREE e-report of your choice, getting to choose between the "Feminine Appearance Report" or the "Identifying High-Quality Men" report, a $4 value and a $7 value, yours free!
• and you'll receive the first 28 pages right now, shipped to your Inbox within 24 hours

Also, I am pleased to offer you a 30-day return policy. If, 30 days after receiving the product, you are unhappy with your purchase, send me an email and I will give you a full refund into your Paypal account, no questions asked.

So what do you have left to lose?

Why are you waiting any longer? 

It's time to take charge of your life and take ownership of your happiness. 

This is your life to live, so pre-order this guide today to take ownership of the love, happiness, and feminine power that belongs to you. 

$27 $22.50 for a limited time...!

Learn The Secrets

I am pleased to offer you a 30-day return policy. If, 30 days after you receive the full product, you are unhappy with your purchase, send me an email and receive a full refund.

A Shout-Out to a Sponsor

Hi Ladies,

Today I'd just like to take a break from blogging about elegance to give a quick little shout-out to one of my sponsors.

Feminine Lingerie Is Your Little Secret

As a woman who's taken dramatic steps in the last two years towards better embracing her femininity, I can honestly say without hesitating that I love feminine and pretty lingerie more than the next girl.

Perfume Review: Hanae Mori Butterfly

It's hard to deny that perfume has always had a certain magic and allure connected to it. Days after a woman leaves your presence, the smell of her perfume will often linger back with you. It's true that scent has the most powerful link to memory than any other scent. Just bathing with a certain soap that you usually use on vacation will bring you back to that spot, even making you feel that you are on vacation right then and there!

Feminine Women Are In-Touch With Their Emotions

Has anyone ever called you "crazy" or "wimpy" for showing your emotions or being upfront about the way that you feel? Have you ever tried to be in-touch with your emotions, only to receive criticism or backlash?

How to Properly Dine at a Restaurant in Italy (Guest Post by Alexander Cross)

Italy is renowned for its incredible food—and each region has specialties that make their cuisine unique. Tuscany is heavy with sauces, meat, and vegetables. In Sicily, there is no shortage of seafood. Also, you cannot forget the incredible pizzas of Naples! There is so much to see and eat when in Italy, and these tips will help you fit right in when it comes to dining out on your holiday.

Bringing Back Old Entertainment

A Girl Reading in a Sailing Boat, Alfred Chantrey-Corbould.

Continuing with the same stream of my last post, I'd like to write another short post about elegant motherhood except this one is going to be a bit more broad, as it's something that applies to us Big Kids as well.

Our Children and Partying

John Jr. was known for being a partier and even trashed
one of Jackie Kenendy's beloved summer homes while
doing so - she moved him (and his parties) to the boat house.

I firmly believe that all of the best and most loving/caring parents worry about their children. Worrying parents are parents who want their children to be safe, who want their children to be happy, and who want their children to do well in life. Those are all just parts of being a good parent.

Romantic Gift-Receiving Etiquette

Many of you write to me asking me questions about dating the opposite sex and I understand the questions. After all, they seem so different from us in the way that they behave and in the way that they think and we never turn down any opportunities to learn more about them so that we can pursue happy relationships with them.

Lately, I've been getting a good number of questions on gifts. I've spoken before about gift giving etiquette but many of you are now asking me about gift receiving etiquette, specifically, how to appropriately receive a gift from a gentleman.

It's not uncommon for a man to present a woman he's interested in with a small gift here and there as a token of his affection, maybe a flower or a small bouquet of flowers, or a little sentimental something he saw while walking around a store.

A Few More Notes on Making Money Online

As many of you have seen, I have lately been writing a lot on saving money in this economy. One of the things that I have also been writing about has been making money online for those of you who are out of job or who are stay at home moms.

If you missed some of those articles, you can find a few of them listed at the end of this article.

In my longest and most thorough article of this category on The Proper Lady blog, Tips for Blogging for a Living, I mentioned having reliable internet service as one of the most crucial things.

I personally use Cox wireless internet but I recently found out that there are some people out there who are apparently still using dial-up internet. I never imagined that this was true but it ends up that it is!

The Rights of the ProperLady.com Reader

Every ProperLady.com reader has the right to achieve true substantial happiness and  personal fulfillment through:

1 Month to Femininity

Coming Soon! - An all-new e-report on femininity, designed for the woman who wants to see a scheduled and easy-to-follow plan to form herself into a more feminine being.

Learning to Be In-Touch With Your Emotions

Have you ever been called "crazy" or "needy"? I've noticed this a lot, where a woman who shows how she feels can be criticized for such an outward display of emotion and feeling.

Learning to Accept His Natural Masculinity

Mad Men.

On the wall behind my desk where I do my work on the computer, there is a long list of articles that I need to write and publish on TheProperLady.com. Those take forever (as you can see from my long overdue elegant dress and fashion articles) because I tend to have trouble writing articles that I have to write versus ones that just come to me.

Articles that "just come to me" come to me either through reading other blogs, through something I see, something I read, or something I hear. Usually, these things come to me when whatever I saw or heard elicited an emotional response of some sort.

This is one of those articles that came to be written and published in that way.

Lately, I've been hearing a lot about women trying to change men and trying to change parts of a man's natural masculinity and frankly, I find this to be incredibly disturbing. The best relationships are not about perfection. You're not perfect (I'm sorry to be the one to point this out, but you're not), he's not perfect (as amazing as he may be), and your relationship is perfect (I'm sorry to be the one to point that out as well). However, a good relationship is not about perfection. A good relationship is about recognizing that your relationship isn't perfect and then accepting that it doesn't have to be and then learning to appreciate and love one another, imperfections and all.

Facebook Etiquette

As much of a traditionalist as I may be in many ways, it would be almost impossible for The Proper Lady to stay current and be useful if it didn't recognize Facebook as one of the premiere methods of communication.

By the way, please "like" us on the Proper Lady's Facebook page if you haven't already - we wouldn't want you to miss out on the updates and the photos! You can find us on the right, near the top of the sidebar. 

However, as with any other method of communication, there are certain etiquette and refinement rules pertaining to the use of Facebook and how you use it to interact with other people.

I'm now offering you a short post on how to hold yourself with elegance, grace, and classy while using the world's most popular social networking site.

Cooking and Femininity

Tips for Blogging for a Living

There are truly many things that I hope that The Proper Lady will be and one of them is a place of inspiration. One of my dreams for this site is to form it into a place that inspires everyday regular women to hold themselves to a higher standard, to dream big, and to do great. For women out there who think that they can never be an elegant woman, I want this to be a site that screams, "Yes you can!"

This is why when I noticed how many emails have been flowing into my email recently from readers who have been inspired to start elegance and femininity blogs of their own and wanted to know if it was possible and if I had any advice, I knew that I had to write this post for them, especially since they were also interested in how to properly monetize their blog and make it successful.

I can see why the idea of making some extra income at home from blogging is appealing. After all, I myself find it to be appealing.

When you're a professional blogger, you're your own boss. You choose your working hours, your breaks, you choose how much time you want to put into it and what you want to invest in. You make all of the decisions and that gives you this sense of freedom that you can't have in many other careers.

These flexible hours and the ability to work at home is also very appealing to the elegant mother or elegant wife who wants to put her spouse and/or children first and wants to be home with them and do what needs to be done with them first, and then work when she has extra time.

What to Look For When Buying an Elegant Home

Hi Doves,

A few days ago, I accepted a lovely new sponsor called Vero Beach Waterfort Real Estate (I'm now accepting sponsors to help support myself and my future family - if you are curious to learn more, please read my Disclaimer/Disclosure). I hope that you'll visit their website because it's truly beautiful!

A Lifetime Student of Elegance

Today I had a chance to think about humility and how important it is in the pursuit of elegance. I honestly think that if you do not have humility, then you have already lost in your pursuit of elegance. An elegant woman is not a woman who has a vulgar amount of self-entitlement and a cockiness or arrogance to her. 

Kitchen-Themed Registry Ideas

My good friend, Katy, is getting married to a very nice young man and she recently asked me to help her put together her kitchen-themed registry, much to my excitement. Katy is a beautiful traditional Southern belle and so she's just the kind of girl to make her registry centered around giving her what she needs to build a beautiful home for her soon-to-be husband and any future children that they may have. Knowing that I'm quite the cooking and baking fiend (I prefer the word "passionate"), she was kind enough to ask me what I recommend her registering for when it comes to a kitchen themed registry.

Guest Post: Lessons in Elegance from Vintage Fashion

An Education.

I was very honored when asked to write a guest post for Va-Voom Vintage, a great blog that I recently discovered on vintage clothing.

For those of you who'd like to read the article, you can find it here.

Identifying High-Quality Men E-Report

How do I know if he's genuine or not? How do I know if he likes me? How do I know if he's a good guy?

For women who are single and searching for that special someone, dating and evaluating a man's character can be a minefield. 

Giving Men Flowers

Hi Doves,

For the longest time, we have been bombarded with images of men giving flowers to women and bringing flowers to present a woman with on a first date. When it's almost Valentine's Day, it's all about the man buying the woman red roses, but we never hear about women buying the man red roses.

I think that it's not only okay for a man to enjoy getting flowers, but also a lovely thing. Unfortunately, many men are not yet accustomed to the idea of having fresh flowers delivered to them or gifted to them. My gentleman at least knows what to do with them (use them as decoration and take care of them!) but although he truly does appreciate the thought and does enjoy having his place brightened up, he'd still never think about getting flowers by himself.

10 Steps to Becoming an Elegant Woman (10 Steps on How to Become Elegant)

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge.

No matter how much we may want to form ourselves into something special, sometimes our day-to-day lives are so busy that we don't have time to sit down and absorb large chunks of material. That's why, thankfully, TheProperLady.com offers bite-sized chunks of material that help you to get started on your journey to become an elegant woman or proper lady without requiring you to sit down and read for a half hour or more.

For those of you wanting to start becoming an elegant woman in 10 easy steps (or 10 quick ways), read on.

(1) Be Kind.

I cannot stress this step enough. Elegant and ladylike women are kind and considerate. That's the main distinguishing factor between classy people and "trashy" people: they show consideration for the feelings of others and think about other people. This is why elegant women are well-mannered: having good manners is a simple and straight-forward way to avoid making people feel uncomfortable or hurt.

An elegant woman treats everyone with an equal amount of respect, regardless of their station in life. That's one of the biggest aspects of classy people: they treat everyone with respect, regardless of who they are, and they treat everyone with the same kind of respect.

There are many ways to be kind and there are ways in which the elegant woman is kind.

(2) Mind Your Hygiene

As shallow as this may seem, it's truly hard to imagine any woman, no matter how elegantly she may be dressed, being considered a lady with an unpleasant stench emulating from her when she passes by.

Take care of your skin, making sure that it is clean and moisturized, carry around little absorbent rice papers or tissues to blot oil off of your skin during the day so that it's not shiny, carry mints, brush your teeth well, floss 1-2 times a day, use mouthwash, comb your hair, shower/bathe, drink plenty of clean water, exercise, eat right, and use some sort of cologne or perfume to make sure that you continue smelling fresh.

Are you interested in learning about a ladylike and feminine appearance?

(3) Keep a Good Posture

I speak about this a little bit in Part III of my "First Steps to Femininity" E-Course, but summed up, having a good posture shows confidence and helps you to move gracefully, which both help if you want to be an elegant woman.

(4) Dress in a Way That's Feminine and Presentable, But Modest

Princess Mary of Denmark.

Many women, in their attempt to dress well, decide to dress glamorously and emulate Hollywood red carpet fashions, which involve showing leg and cleavage. An elegant woman leaves something to the imagination. She doesn't feel the need to show off both legs and cleavage at the same time. If she shows a bare back, she has covered up legs and covered up arms and cleavage. If she has a bare leg, the hemline isn't too short and she has a covered up back and covered up neckline. If she has bare shoulders, she isn't showing an abundance of cleavage and she has covered up legs and a covered up back. 

(5) Educate Yourself

A Young Woman Reading, Alexandre-Evariste
Fragonard.

An elegant woman is more than just a pretty face with a kind heart and great posture. An elegant woman is also a woman of substance, who takes care to improve her mind.

She knows that looks and feminine charms are great, but that they can only take her so far in life.

She has high-standards for herself and so she won't tolerate being a silly or ignorant girl.

An elegant woman, if she is of school age, studies hard and an elegant woman of any age rarely turns down an opportunity to improve and refine her mind.

She considers reading classical literature, literary fiction, and non-fiction to be a good pastime and never fails to look up words that she's unfamiliar with. She reads intelligent publications like newspapers, literary magazines, news magazines, and social/political commentary (like The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal, and The Economist).

She also attempts to make herself more culturally aware. She keeps her eyes and ears open for discounts on theater and opera tickets and she reads the background of the composer and of the plot before attending. She is open to trying new food, to learning about other ways of worshipping, and learning new languages. 

(6) Be Hospitable, Warm, and Welcoming

If you were to ask me what my favorite aspect of being an elegant woman is, I think that one of my favorite aspects would be the elegant woman's hospitality and warmth.

A truly elegant woman takes special care to make those around her feel comfortable and welcome, and guests in her home are always made to feel taken care of.

This hospitality and warmth doesn't end as soon as the guests leave the house. The elegant woman will also treat her husband and children with the same warmth, love, and hospitality. You wouldn't tell your guests to get up off of the couch and grab something themselves, so why would you tell your gentleman to? Why treat guests (some of whom you barely know) better than the man who you chose to bring into your life? 

An elegant woman has a love for people and extends her love, warmth, and graciousness to those around her, to everyone that she meets. She believes in treating every child like an angelic treasure, every man like a King, and every woman like a Queen.

(7) Have High-Standards

An elegant woman has high-standards. She's not the kind of woman who just let her kids do whatever their sweet hearts desire, she's not the kind of woman who's lazy and who fails because she didn't try, and she's not the kind of woman who treats people with anything less than the utmost respect.

She holds both herself and her family to a certain standard of behavior and deportment. There are many families today that let their kids do "whatever makes them happy," but the elegant woman knows that although there are many societal standards that are silly and outdated, there are many standards that must continue to be met.

Yes, it's a free country and your children can do whatever they want. But just because your children are allowed to run around naked, get C's in school, and cuss like tattooed sailors, doesn't mean they should do so, and in the elegant woman's home, they most certainly do not.

The elegant woman also holds herself to a high standard. You won't see her swearing, pushing her lifestyle and views onto other people, or not being aware of current events.

Elegance is refusal.

(8) Care For Your Health

This goes back to the part about hygiene, but an elegant woman cares about her health. We know that some issues are genetic and some things just can't be helped, but an elegant woman makes the most out of what she's been given.

Taking care of one's health means physical health (she exercises and eats nutritious food) but it also means mental health, and an elegant woman will do what she can to keep herself mentally and spiritually healthy.

(9) Think About Other People

We live in a very selfish time, a culture of "me me me" and "I I I." You can see this in the wedding industry, where brides can get a 20 foot train and a 12 tier cake if they want to, where women believe weddings come in all shapes and sizes (which means that they can have whatever they want to satisfy their "me me me" and "I I I" craving) and women often plan their wedding without any consideration of the groom's taste (most women even start planning their wedding without a groom at all).

Most people haven't done an hour of charity work in their life yet are willing to put in "charity" time to fight for things that benefit them specifically.

The elegant woman has her own needs to satisfy, of course, but she never forgets to think about other people. A truly elegant woman is not shallow or selfish and she does her best to stay above the immediate gratification culture.

An elegant woman dedicates herself to her family and friends and she also dedicates herself to causes that might not necessarily help her out directly, but help out another group in need. Find a cause to help another group that you're passionate about. We're all part of one big human family.

(10)

Top 4 Wedding Trends of 2013